HortFact—3112
Horticulture Department
VINEYARD SITE PREPARATION
S. Kaan Kurtural, Viticulturist
Vineyard site preparation is an important preplanting procedure that should start the year before.
A soil test should be conducted the season before planting to provide information on soil chemical and
physical properties. For vineyards soil samples should be taken at two depths at: 0”-8” and 8”-16” in an
‘X’ pattern. The samples collected at these two depths should be analyzed separately. The desired soil
physical and chemical properties for vineyards are presented in Table 1.
Table 1. Desired soil properties for vineyard establishment
Physical properties
Minimum rooting depth: 30 inches
Internal water drainage: Moderately well to
well
Chemical properties
Soil pH: 5.5 to 6.8
Organic matter: 2%-3%
Phosphorus: 40-50 lbs/A
Potassium: 250-300 lbs/A
Magnesium: 200-250 lbs/A
Zinc: 8-10 lbs/A
Boron: 1.5-2.0 lbs/A
Your County Extension Agent can provide information on soil fertility and fertilizer needs for
the first year vineyard. If soil pH is below pH 5.5, an application of agricultural ground limestone to
raise the soil pH to desired levels is recommended. The University of Kentucky, Department of
Agronomy Publication (AGR-1) ‘Lime and Fertilizer Recommendations
(http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/agr/agr1/agr1.pdf) provides detailed information on how to ameliorate
the soil pH.
Site preparation in the year prior to planting should include plowing (Figure 1), sub-soiling (Figure 2),
land leveling (Figure 3), drainage tile installation (if needed), and fertility adjustments based on the soil
tests as mentioned above.
Figure 1. Preparing a site for vineyard planting starts with
plowing to turn over the soil.
Figure 2. Sub-soiling in prospective vineyard sites helps break up
the plow pan layer.
Figure 3. Site preparation in the summer and fall prior to planting in the following year. The site
has been plowed, sub-soiled and leveled.
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Another important task in vineyard site preparation is controlling perennial weed pests. These include
but are not limited to thistle, Johnsongrass, quackgrass, dock, or woody species such as brambles (Dami
et al., 2005). Perennials may live for several years. Most of the perennial weed species survive the
winter as vegetative propagules, including below ground rhizomes (e.g., Quackgrass), tubers (e.g.,
Jerusalem artichoke), budding rootstocks (e.g., Canada thistle), budding tap-roots (e.g., dandelion), or
above ground stolons (e.g., ground ivy). Although most produce seed, new growth in the spring usually
is from the under – or above-ground vegetative propagules. The perennial weed species are more
difficult to control than annual species as their propagules are protected by soil, foliage, and debris. The
prospective vineyardists have several safe and effective herbicides that are available to control such
weed species during the site preparation period (Dami et al., 2005). However, some of these herbicides
can only be used during site preparation (such as 2,4-D) since grapevines are extremely sensitive to their
growth regulator like effects.
Establishing a temporary cover crop is the next step in site preparation for a vineyard. If site
preparation is started the year before the proposed planting date, best results are achieved by applying
lime and fertilizer, plowing, and growing a cultivated cover crop such as hybrid Sudan grass on the site
before planting to a permanent cover crop. The hybrid Sudan grass is planted after leveling of the
proposed site is complete and is grown until mid-August. The hybrid Sudan grass at this time is plowed
under and the field is prepared for establishment of a permanent cover crop.
Permanent cover crops for vineyards have a better chance of establishment if sown between midAugust and mid-September in Kentucky due to less weed competition (Figure 4.) An application of 35
pounds of actual nitrogen per acre at the time the permanent cover crop is sown stimulates its growth
(Dami et al., 2005). Planting rates of 80 to 120 pounds of perennial rye grass, or Kentucky-31 Parkway
Fescue at a rate of 30 pounds to the acre, or mixture perennial rye and fescue will provide adequate
ground cover for vineyard floors (Figure 5.)
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Final site preparation must be made in early spring in late March or early April when the soil is
dry enough to cultivate properly. Two weeks before planting a systemic herbicide to kill the permanent
cover crop is applied to the area of the row where vines are going to be set. The row middles will
remain in sod and the killed row areas are tilled so the sod mat or ground cover is destroyed and a friable
planting soil is established (Figure 6).
Figure 4. Drop seeding permanent cover crop in late summer
Figure 5. Permanent cover crop established by early spring of the
following year,
Figure 6. New vines planted into herbicide killed rows.
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